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If you're planning bathroom renovations, it's advisable to steer clear of employing this German artist for such tasks.

Indeed, she's highly skilled in handling foam materials, crafting fascinating sculptures from this unlikely medium. However the more look at these pieces, the stronger you realise that something seems somewhat unnerving.

The thick strands of sealant Herfeldt forms reach beyond display surfaces where they rest, drooping downwards to the ground. The knotty foam pipes expand till they rupture. Certain pieces break free from their transparent enclosures entirely, becoming a collector for dust and hair. It's safe to say the feedback are unlikely to earn pretty.

There are moments I feel this sense that items possess life inside an area,” remarks Herfeldt. Hence I started using this foam material due to its a distinctly physical feel and appearance.”

Indeed there is an element rather body horror in the artist's creations, starting with the phallic bulge that protrudes, similar to a rupture, from the support in the centre of the gallery, and the winding tubes made of silicone which split open as if in crisis. On one wall, the artist presents prints of the works viewed from different angles: resembling microscopic invaders observed under magnification, or colonies in a lab setting.

I am fascinated by is the idea inside human forms happening that also have their own life,” she says. “Things which remain unseen or control.”

On the subject of unmanageable factors, the poster promoting the event features a picture showing a dripping roof in her own studio located in Berlin. It was made in the seventies and, she says, was instantly hated from residents since many older edifices got demolished in order to make way for it. It was already in a state of disrepair upon her – a native of that city yet raised in northern Germany before arriving in Berlin as a teenager – moved in.

This deteriorating space proved challenging to Herfeldt – it was risky to display her pieces without concern risk of ruin – however, it was compelling. Without any blueprints on hand, it was unclear the way to fix the problems that arose. After a part of the roof within her workspace became so sodden it gave way completely, the sole fix was to replace the panel with a new one – thus repeating the process.

Elsewhere on the property, Herfeldt says the water intrusion was severe so multiple shower basins were installed within the drop ceiling to channel the water to a different sink.

It dawned on me that the building resembled an organism, a totally dysfunctional body,” Herfeldt states.

These conditions evoked memories of the sci-fi movie, John Carpenter’s debut cinematic piece featuring a smart spaceship which becomes autonomous. And as you might notice through the heading – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – other cinematic works influenced impacting the artist's presentation. These titles point to the female protagonists from a horror classic, the iconic thriller plus the sci-fi hit respectively. She mentions a critical analysis by the American professor, that describes these surviving characters an original movie concept – women left alone to triumph.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, on the silent side enabling their survival thanks to resourcefulness,” says Herfeldt of the archetypal final girl. No drug use occurs or engage intimately. Regardless who is watching, everyone can relate to this character.”

The artist identifies a connection linking these figures to her artworks – objects which only staying put despite the pressures they face. Is the exhibition really concerning societal collapse rather than simply water damage? Similar to various systems, substances like silicone intended to secure and shield us from damage are gradually failing in our environment.

“Oh, totally,” she confirms.

Before finding inspiration using foam materials, Herfeldt used different unconventional substances. Recent shows featured forms resembling tongues using a synthetic material typical for in insulated clothing or apparel lining. Again there is the sense these strange items could come alive – a few are compressed as insects in motion, some droop heavily on vertical planes or spill across doorways attracting dirt from footprints (Herfeldt encourages audiences to interact and dirty her art). Similar to the foam artworks, those fabric pieces also occupy – and breaking out of – cheap looking transparent cases. They’re ugly looking things, and that's the essence.

“These works possess a certain aesthetic that draws viewers very attracted to, yet simultaneously they’re very disgusting,” Herfeldt remarks with a smile. “The art aims for invisible, yet in reality highly noticeable.”

Herfeldt's goal isn't pieces that offer relaxation or visual calm. Rather, she aims for discomfort, odd, perhaps entertained. And if there's water droplets from above additionally, don’t say you haven’t been warned.